I. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a network device search system for identifying a desired network device with which to communicate.
II. Description of the Related Art
When a user uses his or her mobile terminal to interact with a desired device (for example, printer) from among a plurality of devices connected to a network (such as an office LAN), the mobile terminal needs to identify the device and then establish a connection with the device.
To that end, there is known a method involving displaying all the devices existing within the network in a list on the mobile terminal and allowing the user to select a specific device from the list to establish a connection with the device.
Specifically, an application program for performing a search (hereinafter referred to as “search app”) is started on the mobile terminal to transmit a search request signal.
Each device within the network returns a response signal including unique information for the respective devices, such as a host name and an IP address, and hence the mobile terminal can display the unique information for the devices in a list.
Accordingly, if the unique information for a device displayed in the list matches the unique information for the device desired by the user, the user may select the unique information to establish a connection to the desired device.
However, even if the unique information for the devices is transmitted, it is difficult for the user to identify the desired device based on the unique information (such as the host name and the IP address of the device, formed of an array of numbers and letters of the alphabet).